Improvement in vest-supporters



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIo BARNARD' F. MARTIN AND ELIAS MAPES, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN VEST-SUPPORTERS.

Specificatiomforming part of Letters Patent No. 141,007, dated July 22, 1873; application filed January 29, 1873.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, BARNARD F. MARTIN and ELIAS MAPES, both of the city of Rochester, county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Device for Vest-Front Stiffeners, of which the following is a specification:

The object of this invention is to provide a simple and efficient frame or support for vest fronts or bosoms, made of metal or other suitable material, and having sufficient flexibility to permit of the various necessary movements of the body of the wearer, and to be so applied to the vest-bosom, by buttoning or otherwise, as to preserveits smooth and symmetrical form and condition for any length of time. It consists of a frame of several vertical slats, more or less curved to conform to the body of the wearer, and riveted or otherwise secured at the top and bottom to lateral plates also more or less curved.

The drawing is a front elevation of our invention representing the stiffener for one side of the vest.

The neck-plate A is made somewhat convex outward, and is placed obliquely, as shown. The lower cross-plate B may be straight horizontally, but curved outward. The plates A and B are riveted or otherwise attached to the side slats a. Two or more intermediate slats, a, may be used, as desired, and more or less curved outward. These slats a and a maybe provided at each corner of the frame with a suitable button or stud, by which it can be detachably connected to the vest-front or hooks, straps, or laces may be used; or a false lining may be attached to the bosom of the vest and the frame inserted between them. Theframe. may be made of thin strips of brass, steel, or other suitable material. They may be nickelplated, or galvanized, or otherwise prevented from corrosion. Whalebone, rattan, or ordinary hoop-skirt wire may beused for the frame. If the latter is employed the covered wire would be preferable, as would, also, in that case, metallic clips, for connecting the slats to the cross-plates. The vertical slats a and a may project below the lower plate B and be curved, as shown, to insure proper flexibility to that part of the stiffener.

The stiifeners may be placed between the lining and the body of the vest, but the plan of attachment previously described would be preferable, especially for thin vests, or those designed to be washed.

We find that these stiifeners permit every possible or necessary torsel position or curvature of the body of the wearer with the utmost freedom, and at the same time preserve the garment in the most perfect condition, entirely free from wrinkles or folds, thus effectually removing or avoiding an annoyance heretofore generally experienced.

What we claim as our invention, is

A flexible vest-front supporter or stiffener, consisting essentially of the neck-plate A, cross-plate .B, and curved side plates at and a, constructed and arranged substantially as shown and described, for the purpose set forth.

BARNABD F. MARTIN. ELIAS MAPES.

Witnesses: K

JAS. F. GoRnoN, WM. S. LOUGHBOROUGH. 

